stopover in dubai

paan wallah

booked my fligth to sri lanka today

on my returnfligth i ll have a stopover of 8 hours in dubai.....

is it possible to leave the airport and do some sigthseeing in dubai ?

anybody has done this and could give me some advice or tips??

freemanx

sorry paan wallah,

i stayed at the airport cause it was nighttime. but the airport´s not a bad one with lots of shopping oportunitys.

good luck for your trip to SL

paan wallah

I will have my stopover during daytime

freemanx

so, whats your plans for SL?

Merchant

You can certainly go out and see Dubai easily during your stopover. If you are US, EU, Australian, etc. citizen, you are given a free visa on arrival--they just stamp your passport without any special procedures or forms. Just go through customs as per normal.

After that, take a taxi to the Gold Souq. It's the old part of town, Deira, with all the markets, near the creek. You can shop, wander, and eat. Talk to interesting people (lots of Indians), etc. The area is only 20 mins or so from the airport, less without traffic. Taxis in Dubai are metered, clean, and fairly cheap.

cyberhippie

I think you might need a visa Paanwallah!
Apparently these are available on arrival for many countries including Germany!

Merchant

Don't be confused the by the language Dubai uses about visas. If you are a citizen of a first world country (no other way to say it, really), Dubai will let you in, no questions asked, for 30 or 60 days, depending on whichever stamp they happen to use that day.

There are no forms, no procedures, and no separate line to stand in. You proceed as if you don't actually need a visa. You just get a stamp that happens to say Visa, instead of Entry.

So the whole thing about visas is really just a formality. It's not like India . . .

cyberhippie

Merchant, it wasn't clear if there was a charge for this?????

Merchant

No charge at all. You won't even know that you got a visa unless you look at your passport.

cyberhippie

Sounds great, I've never flown via UAE but I might look into it now.
Cheers merchant!

Merchant

Dubai is the "Crossroads of the World" and an easy launching pad to India. Indeed, it really feels like a suburb of Mumbai. It's also a 21st century city, and worth seeing, since new cities aren't being built any more, just expanded. London is a 19th century city, New York a 20th, etc. Dubai is a boomtown.

paan wallah

so dubai here I come

Merchant

Here's a discussion on that other board, to which I contributed some musings about Dubai--

http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/me...1&paren tid=0

enigma76

Ahlan wa sahlan and welcome to Dubai

A lot has been said about the place, in various websites and forums. I'd like to advice you to explore a bit during your 8 hours here. Currently, the Dubai Summer Surprises(DSS) is goin on (scheduled to end in around ten days though), so most of the malls have some promotion or the other, a good time to pick up ANY thing under the sun for reasonable rates( i would say not as cheap as in Bangkok, for instance, but defintely cheaper than a lot of other places)

There is plenty to do here apart from shopping, and all hotels are not generally expensive as is the general impression. YES, expensive hotels are aplenty, but if you look in the Deira side for budget accomodation you will find plenty of hotels starting for as low as USD 15 to higher rates. And most of these hotels are clean with basic facilities and most importantly, SAFE. I cannot stress enough on the safe factor. A lot of crime DOES happen, just like in any other cosmopolitan city, but trust me, its a very safe place for both men and women alike. And no, there isnt anythin to fear about being alone in a middle eastern country, specially the UAE and Dubai. Everything is tolerated to a certain extent as long as it doesnt interfere with the way the country generally functions, which is according to the Islamic guidelines. Yes, a lot of anti-islamic stuff does happen, specially in Dubai, but sometimes the government of Dubai chooses to turn its eye away as long as its not criminal. All in the cause of promoting toursm. We also have churches and temples in Dubai and the UAE as such, apart from many beautiful mosques.

For people with a little more time on hand, it would be great to check out Dubai's neighbouring emirates, like Fujairah( a favorite place for the water sport lovers and nature lovers), and Ras Al Khaimah (an emirate with a mix of history and natural scenery) apart from the capital, Abu Dhabi.

Adventure sports(http://www.mountain-extreme.com/site/uae_adventures.htm), jet-skiing, smoking a sheehsa soakin in the humid evening air, a stroll down the fabulous creek side, and an outrageously inexpensive but superfun "abra" ride (small boat) are some of the things you can do in Dubai. A special limousine ride of the city (under 100 dollars for an evenings ride) could be an easy way to view all the beautiful skyscrapers that the city boasts off, including the world famous 7 star hotel, the Burj Al Arab. The spice souks and gold souks in Deira are places not to be missed as well.NIghtlife is always happening, with bars and clubs to suit every taste and style.

The airport itself is one of the finest in the world, with a mind-boggling duty free complex. Truly, shopping in Dubai can start right from the airport itself. Purchasing the Dubai Duty Free raffle tickets for a tidy sum may well win you one of those luxury cars that are always on offer.

All said, Dubai is a good place worth one visit atleast. IF you feel like coming back again, I wouldnt blame you

Try out these good websites for some more info:

http://www.timeoutdubai.com/
http://dubaitourism.co.ae/
http://www.godubai.com/explore/explore.asp


Ma'salaama

eater

Quote:

Originally Posted by Merchant Dubai is the "Crossroads of the World" and an easy launching pad to India. Indeed, it really feels like a suburb of Mumbai.

This was the feeling I got when I was in Mumbai early this year.....came across a number of Mumbaits going to/poping off to Dubai for a long week-end.

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